Sunrise To Fight For New Full-service Post Office

SUNRISE — The legwork finished, Harold Green presented a petition to City Council members with the names of about 5,000 city residents who want a full-service post office.

Green, legislative assistant to Council President Larry Hoffman, and others have been collecting signatures for about a month.

Tuesday, council members accepted the petition and voted to eliminate funding for the city-subsidized postal station, 2260 NW 68th Ave., when the contract between the city and the post office expires Oct. 1. City officials hope to bring a full-service post office to the city.

Hoffman said as long as the city is under contract to fund the station, ``they (the federal government) will not put a full-service post office in Sunrise.``

City funds and employees are used to run the postal station.

``We`re the only city in the United States that subsidizes the federal postal system,`` Council member Dan Pearl said, claiming that the postal station this year will cost the city about $100,000.

The federal government gives the city about $33,000 per year to run the station.

Council member Bill Colon said several people have expressed interest in taking over the city`s contract with the federal government to keep the station open.

The vote to stop funding the station was 4-1 with interim Council member Mike Stern voting against the station`s closing.

``I don`t want to put the cart before the horse,`` he said. ``We`re asking that the station be closed with no guarantee that we`ll get a new post office.``

The petition for a full-service post office is expected to be sent to U.S. Rep. Larry Smith, D-Hollywood, and State Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale.